


A Challenge

by Silvermagess



Category: Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist
Genre: Constructive Criticism Welcome, Kissing, M/M, WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-15 02:33:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9214961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvermagess/pseuds/Silvermagess
Summary: William is at his wit's end due to Sytry's constant teasing.  An unusual suggestion from Isaac might hold the answer.  That or William might find himself in for more than he bargained for.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I started this over a year ago then got stalled and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to complete it, but I figured I'd at least try. Concrit is welcome as always. Tags will be added as I go along.

"Gah! I can't believe him!" William growled as he stormed out of the dorm, the door slamming behind him. He quickened his steps as the disgraceful incident played through his mind. It had been tea time in the common area and William had taken up his favorite position on the couch, reading the newspaper. Sytry had been in there with a few members of his little fan club and a box of biscuits, chattering loudly.

William had tuned them out and been engaged in reading about a recent debate in Parliament when there had been a rustling and he'd looked up to see Sytry in front of him, fingers gripping the edge of the paper.

"What do you want?"

"…that article, about the indecency of young women on the front," Sytry said as he tugged at the paper. William reached up and pried the demon's fingers off.

"Get your own. Or wait until I am finished."

"You take forever to read," Sytry sighed as he began tugging at the paper again.

"You can wait," William hissed, ignoring the glares of Sytry's fan club. "Besides, why would you want to read an article on whores? Especially such a sensationalist one?"

"It looks interesting," Sytry continued pulling at the paper, now more insistent. "Not like the boring things you prefer to read." William rolled his eyes, while keeping his grip firm. Truth be told, he could have just handed over the front page and had peace, but that would have been giving in. He'd learned early on that giving into Sytry was the worst thing you could do.

"You could stand to read some more boring things," he muttered to himself, trying to finish out the article. Only to have Sytry now begin to act in earnest.

"Why not read it with me?" Sytry said as he let go of the paper and sat down next to William. He leaned his shoulder against William's, resting his head on the boy's shoulder. Too close! And the fan club seemed to agree, shooting bitter looks in their direction.

Jerking away, William twisted so that he was facing Sytry, paper lowered. "Just wait your turn!" Oh why wasn't he a prefect anymore? He could have made Sytry go polish all the furniture in the room as punishment and be done with it. Using his contract to order Sytry was no good in this situation either, not with so many witnesses. 

No doubt sensing William's problem, Sytry twisted around and leaned forward, so that he was whispering, "You're no fun William." And then he blew into his ear and William's reserves collapsed. He shoved Sytry away, scrambled off the sofa and marched off, a surge of laughter flowing behind him as he exited the room.

William wasn't going to hear the end of this, ever. 

* * *

"Was Sytry bothering you again?" Isaac asked as he sat down across from William later that afternoon. They were sitting under the tree where they had taken to practicing magic. It was fairly out of the way, with few students ever coming this way.

"Even you know about that?" William frowned as he opened the grimoire, flipping through to the page on water. A near mishap a few weeks ago had convinced the two of them that a water spell might be a good tool to accompany fire magic. "Useless gossips," he sighed.

Isaac hadn't even bothered to flip his own book open, no doubt having memorized it, the bastard. Why couldn't he apply that ability to the rest of his studies? "He is getting really bold, isn't he?" Isaac stretched out his hand, palm facing upwards. "Nymphs, bring the elixir of life into my hands!" Within a few seconds, a large round bead of water had filled Isaac's hand, laying there like an apple. It retained its shape perfectly, looking like a flawless glass orb.

William did the same motion and incantation, coming up with a similar orb of water, though it was wavering much more. "Bold? More like shameless. I do not know what he stands to gain from such folly."

Chuckling, Isaac slowly turned his palm upside down, the water traveling with it, still maintaining its shape. "I think you give him more than enough incentive, William."

"What is that supposed to mean?" He dared not imitate Isaac any further, the water in his own hand still too unstable.

"He finds it fun, because you overreact."

"How I am I supposed to react? It's perverted."

Shifting the orb to his other hand, Isaac frowned. "I don't think you have to worry about him being perverted. Otherwise he would have followed through by now."

The orb of water flattened for a moment and it was all William could do to restabilize it. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I heard something from one of his fan club members," Isaac said as he let the ball of water dangling from his fingers. "You know Beechworth?"

"Eric Beechworth you mean?" Eric Beechworth was one of the prettiest boys in school, popular with everyone and a member of the fan club that Sytry was particularly nice too. His father owned a company that manufactured furniture and musical instruments. Definitely one of the up and comers at school, though never someone William had managed to be on more than distant terms with. He also had a little brother, Eli who had just started.

"Yes. I heard from one of the other boys that he confessed to Sytry and then tried to make a move."

The orb in William's hand instantly dissolved, splashing down his hand and over his knees. It was cold and he chocked. "He what?" Isaac burst into laughing at William, who snapped at him. "You broke my concentration!"

Isaac shook his head. "You're too easily distracted," he said as he dissolved his own orb, letting it return to the ether from which it had manifested. "But, you know, Sytry was always up on Beechworth too, right?"

"I do not pay attention to such things."

It was a lie of course, because it impossible not to notice the disorder his demonic "compatriots" had brought to the school. Sytry being the worst of all, with all of his inappropriate flirting. Sure, there were always tales of boys who became a little too fond of one another, but people understood that such things were to be kept discrete and secret, the subject of mere gossip. Sytry and most of the boys at school seemed to not care for propriety though.

Openly wearing things such as ribbons and even dresses, Sytry flirted with others for sweets, attention and help with his studies. And the others were only too desperate to oblige, to see him as the girl they felt was sorely lacking from their lives.

Idiots.

But yes, William had noticed. Beechworth was a person of quality, so William couldn't help but take an interest in him, so it had become obvious that he was the leader of Sytry's fan club. The way he did little things like carry all of his books, held his coat over the other's head when it was raining out and saved the few good morsels of food on his plate for Sytry, who tended to be more gracious than he was towards most. He even laughed at some of Beechworth's jokes.

"Hah, you are very straightforward William," Isaac decided to continue on. "But anyways, you know they say that Sytry literally bolted away from him?"

"Hmmm? Sytry did?" If it had been anyone else in that situation, William would have shrugged, because what boy would want another confessing to him? But at the same time this was Sytry who always played games with you and only became annoyed if he was forced to work as punishment. A little mutual flirtation shouldn't have been such an imposition. "But so what if he did? I fail to see what that has to do with anything. Maybe he just didn't like Beechworth." Who knew with demons?

"But, William, I asked around afterwards, and a few other boys said similar things. That Sytry gets flustered when people are forward or return his advances."

"Maybe it wouldn't happen if he didn't flirt in the first place," William sighed as he held his hands over his ankles and created a wind spell, hoping to dry himself off.

Rocking back on his hands, Isaac laughed. "That might be, but it makes you think, doesn't it?"

"Makes you think what?"

"That maybe you should give him a taste of his own medicine…" Isaac's expression was sly and William didn't quite like where this was going.

"Well, spill it then. This stupid plan of yours."

The mischief was clear on Isaac's face. "Return his attentions next time."

"Hah?" William raised an eyebrow. "Return them?" He had never expected such a vulgar suggestion from Isaac of all people. "What stupid nonsense-"

"-Sytry wouldn't expect it though!" Isaac's face was all amusement now. "And he'll be afraid to try it again in case you continue to retaliate!"

It was so ridiculous sounding that it was almost brilliant. William could actually see the logic in it. And hadn't he often turned the tables on Sytry in similar ways? Such as when he had first declared his intention to stay in the human world, bragging about his ability to fit in. William had fought back by giving him a very human punishment and forced the demon to scrub all the floors in the dormitory. 

There was merit here. If only it wasn't asking him to do something so undignified and embarrassing. And if only it wasn't coming from Isaac. Even though Isaac tended to be right more often than William cared to admit.

"Pfft, I would rather just ignore his nonsense altogether. It is hardly worthy of a response," William said as he started another spell, generating a new orb of water in his hand.

"William, you're no-" The orb of water being tossed into Isaac's face with a loud splash stopped him. "…your aim is much better."

* * *

It was a stupid suggestion, but William did find himself covertly paying attention to Sytry and his little cohort. Mostly composed of the younger boys and a few older followers, they paid court to Sytry as if he was a prince out of a fairytale. They did everything from helping him with his essays to buffing his nails and shining his shoes. And they chattered with him, laughing at his jokes and making small talk, often oblivious to those moments where he was clearly bored. Of which there were many.

William couldn't understand it, fawning so desperately over someone who would never return their affections and only took advantage of the situation. Especially now that he could see what Isaac had been talking about. He was now scrutinizing those little gestures of romance that he normally turned from in disgust and seeing the truth behind them.

A boy would bend down to kiss his hand and Sytry would pull away a little too fast. Or he would start to whisper something into another's ear only to have the other try to turn their face towards him, causing the demon to flush for a brief moment. He would become dismissive towards praise that fell towards the romantic even if it was far milder than the usual pandering he received.

Other such observations through the next week led William to one conclusion: Sytry was actually fairly pure-hearted. When picking on anyone who was not William. It offended him.

Was it that William knew his secret and thus Sytry felt a little bolder? Was it some malice that he had inspired? Whatever the explanation, it was annoying and William couldn't help but think on Isaac's "suggestion."

He was no longer repulsed by the idea, instead feeling contemplative. If it worked, he would be able to show the demon who was boss and end that cursed flirting. And such a humiliation might cause Sytry to even hold back in other ways. He might even just return to hell in shame. It was a delightful thought. But if it didn't work…

It didn't bear thinking about. He would lose all credibility when it came to rejecting the demon's advances. And it was a stupid plan anyways. So vulgar.

But William also began to think about the possibility of acting on the idea in more detail. It was a good way for his brain to pass time during boring church services, which even Kevin could not make appealing to him. How did one even go about doing such a thing as flirting? His experience was limited in this regard, being a proper young man stuck in the limiting world of a boy's school. And he had never been the type to hold an interest in romantic literature. There was a reason he'd needed help practicing Hamlet and Ophelia's love scene. But surely it couldn't be that hard? Inexperienced people who were not as brilliant as he managed it.

But how did one do it? Like Dantalion did? Leaning in super close with his eyes looking into yours with firey intensity. Pressing his forehead against yours and letting his hand touch your cheek as he said words that were not flowery yet still unnecessarily personal…

He shook his head, because there was no way he could ever do something like that with a straight face. Probably. Taking a page from Sytry's book was just out because of how perverse it was. Maybe one just needed to play it by ear? Surely a genius like him could just figure it out, he thought to himself as the service blissfully ended and he was able to leave his seat. Not that he was going to do such a thing. Of course no-

"Young Master!" Kevin called over to him brightly, now able to drop his guise as a serious priest with the last of the students having filed out. Thoughts of the matter quickly left William's mind and he ended up not thinking about it for a while.

Until he was given no choice but to put the plan into action. 

* * *

It was a holiday and most of the boys were out of the dormitory, going home to their loving families and their nice big houses. William naturally had nothing to go home to save for an empty mansion and a disappeared uncle. And Kevin was nearby, with plenty of free time to devote to his young master. They'd taken dinner in town last night and while William wasn't happy to know where the money had come from, he had enjoyed himself.

Those warm feelings had sustained him into the next day and he was relaxing alone in the common room. The demons hadn't been bothering him too much either. Camio was naturally visiting Maria, ever the dutiful suitor. Dantalion had decided to take the chance to enjoy a feast made by Baphomet, sulking for only a brief moment when William declined. Which he did regret, because it did sound wonderful.

But for now, William had decided to try and strive for a moment of peace. Other than one or two other unfortunate souls like himself, Sytry was the only one flitting about and he had been well behaved for once. Which should have left William wary.

But he had unwisely ignored the warning signs, deciding to sit in the common room and accomplish some light reading. He'd even gone as far as to not read something on science or economics today. He'd picked up Morris's _A Dream of John Ball_ and had been making good headway when the door cracked open.

"Oh, William it's just you," Sytry blinked, a tray of tea and sweets in his hand.

"You are shameless," William frowned as Sytry made sure to take the opposite end of the couch. When the demon handed him a biscuit though, William ate it without a word and returned to his book. For once, Sytry made no comment on his hypocrisy and things fell into an almost companionable silence.

Occasionally William took a glance at Sytry, a habit from earlier in the week. The demon had some crumbs on his face as he continued to take his tea, or rather cake, since you couldn't call that a proper tea time, not the way he did it. But even with that, William had to admit that the demon was rather pretty. Not just in his looks either, but the way he moved, each motion graceful and delicate, in contrast to the brusque personality he tended to display.

He had always questioned Sytry's popularity before, finding it indecent and bizarre. No matter how feminine, he wasn't any substitute for a girl, surely. And William had never felt so desperate for female company as to throw himself at the nearest warm body. And even if he had not been above such things, he couldn't afford to take any risks that would jeopardize his future. But, he could admit now that Sytry was pleasant to look at. And perhaps it was understandable why the weaker willed boys waited on him so eagerly.

"William?" Sytry's voice interrupted his thoughts and William realized the demon was looking right at him.

"W-hat?"

Blinking, Sytry shrugged. "You were looking at me for a long time, so I thought you might want something."

"I wasn't looking at you. I was just lost in thought," William said as he quickly turned back to his book, hoping Sytry would let the issue pass. Which was a naïve thought.

Twisting around so he was reclining against the arm of the couch, Sytry smirked. "Dantalion and Camio are not here, so I imagine it must be lonely for you. But if you were to look to me, I could easily fulfill any wish you had. And I would do it far better."

Scoffing, William turned away, using his book to avoid the demon. "Who would want anything from you?"

There was a silence for a moment, and then he felt the couch shift as Sytry crawled over and pressed against his back, chin resting on William's shoulder, an arm loosely against his waist. "I think you would change your mind if you gave me a chance, William," Sytry's voice was soft, and all too close to his ear.

William's instinct was to flee the indecent attack. Until he remembered Isaac's stupid, stupid advice. And perhaps he was going a bit mad, because William decided to throw all caution to the wind. After all, the greatest generals in history were those who had taken the greatest risks.

Setting his book down, William shifted around so that he was looking at Sytry dead on. "Oh, you want to fulfill my wish?" And then before Sytry could respond, William let his forehead rest against the other's. He could see Sytry's eyes widen. "Then I do have a very pressing need that I think you would be suited to fulfilling." The words sounded ridiculous the moment they left his mouth. But Sytry didn't seem to notice though.

A boyishly eager smile spread across his face. "What is it William? I promise whatever it is, I'll do it! Far better than those two!"

"Well the request I have is a very mature one," William said as he let his voice drop lower. "So you have to promise not to tell." It sounded silly, but he saw the first tinge of red crossing Sytry's cheeks as the demon hopefully realized just what William was requesting.

"William…" Sytry suddenly tightened his grip on him. "I'm glad you're finally seeing my good qualities!"

No, it seemed the demon hadn't realized what was being suggested to him at all. William would have to get a little more aggressive it seemed. The most obvious way would be to just sexually proposition him outright, but William balked at the thought. It was vulgar and also felt too incriminating. Better to save it as a last resort.

"How could I not?" William let a smile fall on his face. "I've been watching you for a long time after all." Seeing the look of surprise on Sytry's face, William decided to continue. "You're clever and attractive. And it bothers me seeing you hanging around your little posse."

William felt a bit disgusted with himself, because what unbelievable garbage was that? But Sytry seemed to be buying into it.

"Hah, I suppose even you are not as immune to my ch-"

"I don't like it. The way you chatter around those people." Seeing Sytry blink, William pressed on. "They are beneath you and yet you indulge them so childishly. Let them wait on you so shallowly, like lovers. It makes me ill." There was a grain of truth there honestly. It did annoy him, always had. The annoyance had only taken on a different, equally unspeakable edge as he'd been Sytry-watching.

That seemed to be the wrong mood though, and he could see Sytry pulling away, now looking peeved. "That is none of your business William! Just because you are so prud-"

"Look at me instead. And only me. Not those lessor beings." It was a bit of improvising that William realized was a little too strong, Sytry's own apparent shock aside. But there was no choice but to go onwards and see how this gambit was going to play out. Before the other could speak, William reach over and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. They were delicate feeling in his and he could feel his heart beginning to race.

"W-william, are you sure you're well?" Sytry said as he drew back a little, eyes beginning to dart around, whether to make sure they were unobserved or to escape, it was hard to say. Looks like Isaac's theory was right though. The demon actually was the shy type.

"Oh, I am very well," William said as he leaned forward, causing Sytry to back away a little more. "It's just that I have finally realized what was right in front of me." It was trite, but it seemed to work slightly, because Sytry puffed up a little.

"Hah! It's about time," he said, his false confidence not entirely covering up for his shyness. "Tell me, what is it you like about me the most then? Right at this moment."

This was getting dangerous and William knew the window of escape from this game was shrinking. But somehow he felt like pressing on. "Your lips."

There was a long silence as Sytry turned his head away. "My lips…"

"Yes, I have often wondered what they would feel like."

What was wrong with him!? Was it just that he had become so caught up in the role of seducer that he had lost his mind? Granted he now knew exactly why Dantalion and Sytry were always so inappropriate. It was fun, being able to make someone flush like this, teasing them until their endurance reached its limits. Not that he was looking to have Sytry give in. In fact, surely the other would flee at any moment and then think twice about bothering him again.

Slowly, Sytry turned his face towards him, expression unusually coy. "I didn't know that you felt like that. But," he batted his eyelashes then, "if it's William, I would gladly let him have a taste."

And now things were going very, very wrong. William couldn't stop himself from flinching and he saw a victorious smirk cross Sytry's face. William was never going to listen to Isaac again. But it was too late now, isn't it? If he backs off, it's admitting defeat and letting the demon know he can get his way.

"You are too kind," William said as he leaned in. "Though you know, there is no going back after this, correct?"

He saw Sytry pause for a moment and visibly swallow. Maybe Isaac wasn't going to be in the dog house after all. "Like I said, if it is you, I do not mind."

"Good," William said as he leaned forward more, forcing Sytry to lay down and causing William to plant his hands on both sides of the demon. "Because I am really going to do it." Looking down at Sytry, William could feel his mouth go dry.

The demon's hair was splayed out underneath him, his blue eyes looking very wide even as he tried to feign comfort and experience. As terrible as it was, William could now understand why the other boys fawned over him so much. He was indeed pretty, like a butterfly that you would desperately try to catch, without crushing it.

Dammit! Why wasn't he running off?

Instead of leaving though, Sytry closed his eyes, as if searching in himself. Then something seemed to relax. "Then please do it."

It was said so bluntly, coming from that pretty face of his. William had to bite back some irritation. And it wasn't just Sytry he was annoyed with, but himself. For ending up in this situation with an almost non-existent chance of escape. And because some part of him was excited.

Was it too much exposure to these demons and their ways? Was it the consequence of being in a boy's school with no real women to direct his hormonal urges towards? Or maybe it was just that William Twining was some kind of weird pervert. All the possible options sat badly with him.

But in the end, whatever the reason, they were here, in this moment. All that mattered was dealing with it, here in the present. They could muddle through the consequences afterwards.

Swallowing, William leaned down, until their noses were just barely touching. He could feel his hair brushing against the other's face, Sytry's breath ghosting against him. He could also sense his companion's nervousness now that he was so close.

"Sytry, we don't-"

And then he felt Sytry reach a hand up and press it against the back of his head, fingers twining into William's hair. "Please William. It's okay if it's you. Only if it's you."

And Solomon, William thought, but he let that thought die in his head immediately. Because the old man didn't matter. Whatever was going on, he suspected that Sytry wasn't fooling with him this time. The demon was sincere, looking at William with what seemed to be complete and utter trust.

This was the moment when most people would be overcome by their conscience and would have pulled away, regardless of their attraction to the other party. They would have made some speech about how this wasn't the right time or place for such things. It would all be very noble and the other, while disappointed, would appreciate their friend's discretion in time. William wasn't most people though. Most people wouldn't have been in this position to begin with.

Slowly, he closed the gap between them until he could feel Sytry's lips against his. They were soft, as expected but also surprisingly warm, in contrast to how cool the demon's fingers against his scalp were. Sytry's lips moved against his and William hesitantly respond in return.

It was… nice. He could see why the others so desperately fantasized about such things with their non-existent lovers. There was something pleasant about the pure physical sensation of this, the light scent of lilies hanging about Sytry, a little girlish for most boys, but somehow fitting here. He could feel Sytry's fingers digging in a little more tightly into his scalp, but not painfully.

As he drank in the sensations, William began to wonder what Sytry tasted like. Cautiously, he darted out his tongue against the other's lips and felt Sytry gasp and stop. He felt the demon remove his hand and William pulled away, watching as the demon covered his mouth.

"…sorry," William found himself saying, regretting words immediately. Sytry was silent for a moment, hand still on his mouth. William was about to speak again, when the demon suddenly spoke, dropping his hand.

"It's fine. My leg though, it fell asleep…" His gaze drifted downwards and William realized that he had somehow come to rest a little too much of his own weight against Sytry's limbs. He carful got off the demon, moving towards the end of the couch. He watched Sytry slowly sit up, drawing his legs back as he did so, rubbing the one that was apparently "asleep."

There was a long silence as William watched the demon, who was pointedly not looking at him. After a moment, Sytry suddenly got off the couch. "I have somewhere to be. I made a promise with my uncle." And before William could say another word, Sytry had vanished in a flash of light, no doubt going off to hell.

There was a silence as William thought on what had just happened. And he could only come to one conclusion: the demon had run away. 

* * *

Sytry didn't show his face for the rest of the holiday, which was fine with William, who preferred to ruminate on the situation alone. Granted, the only conclusion he could come to was that it had been a very bad idea. Even though it had felt nice.

But that was the way of all human desires, wasn't it? Harmless on their own, but if one wasn't careful, they could take you in dangerous directions. Such as actually kissing your perverted demon acquaintances. This had been a very bad misstep on his part, to act so out of character.

That's why when Isaac finally came back, William walked right up to him and gave his friend a big whack with the newspaper.

"What was that for?!" Isaac cried out, rubbing his head, eyes water.

"No, reason," William sighed. He quickly steered the conversation away, deciding that for the moment is was best to not tell Isaac. While he had few secrets from the boy, William suspected the tale of this particular outing would put him in a bad light. No, best to just leave it be and hope that when Sytry came back, he wouldn't be interested in pressing the issue. Which seemed unlikely, if William was honest with himself.

No, he was never listening to one of Isaac's ideas again.

**Author's Note:**

> A Dream of John Ball by William Morris was a book published in 1888 about time traveling from the modern world to the medieval world.


End file.
